Your Dance Studio: Put the “Fun” Back into Fundraising, Part 1

We get it: You’re not in it for the money. But that doesn’t change the fact that your dancers need to find ways to raise extra money in order to pay for travel, costumes, and other dance-related “extras.” But no one really wants to have to knock on doors, selling candy bars, making a dollar or two per sale. And then there’s the traditional bake sale, but besides food allergies, aren’t we all too busy for that? The kinds of fundraisers your dance studio needs will meet these three basic qualifications:

They take little effort

They make a big financial impact

They’re actually fun!

Are you ready to check out a few fundraiser ideas?

Family Night Out

These types of fundraisers are becoming increasingly popular in some areas of the country. The basic idea is that your studio partners with a local business, usually a restaurant, that agrees to give you a certain percentage of their profit for a particular date. It could be a popular fast food restaurant, part of a sit-down restaurant chain, or an independent local diner. Be sure to advertise within your dance family and throughout your community weeks ahead of time, encouraging families to enjoy an evening out. Sometimes, restaurants may allow you to set up a table with a jar for donations, as well.

The customers won’t have to pay more than they typically would for the meal, but they’ll be benefiting your dance studio. An added bonus is that you’ll get to meet members of your dancers’ families and get to see them enjoying a good meal together!

Date Night for Parents

This type of event offers parents the opportunity to have babysitting provided by your staff and/or older dancers. It will include a bit of foresight and planning, but your earnings will be more than for the Family Night Out. You’ll want to plan on something simple to feed the kids; pizza is a favorite. (Be sure to find out about any food allergies and have parents sign waivers, just to be safe. Depending on your state laws, you’ll also have to make sure that anyone over 18 years of age is background checked.)

You should also plan activities for the kids — maybe an introductory dance class could be one of them? — to last about 3 or 4 hours. Make sure you have a way of keeping track of the children and have certain helpers assigned to each age group. Parents will be glad to get some alone time to catch dinner and a movie, and depending on your dance family and area, you should plan to charge somewhere between $25 and $75 per family.

With your JackRabbit Events Calendar, requesting responses will be simple, helping you plan ahead for the number of children who will be attending your event.

From the Jackrabbit Dance blog:

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JackrabbitDance.com is the leading dance studio software for more than a decade. More than 11,000 studios use Jackrabbit because the system saves them so much time, keeps them organized and simplifies communication with their customers. The beauty of Jackrabbit is the ability to grow and scale your business without outgrowing your software.